ADI SHANKARACHARYA : THE BHASYA & TEACHINGS | Adi Shankara | There is neither you , nor me , nor the world , to those whose minds are immersed in HARI , Who is Fuller than the full , Who is Higher than even the highest , Whose furthest limit is unknown , Who is the vast ocean of nectar in the form of Pure Consciousness devoid of waves , undulations and the like , Who has the splendour of the very bright quarters and the sky in which have appeared ten million suns , Whose One essence is innate Bliss , Who is the Supreme Spirit .

26 . " On what do the body and the heart * rest ? " " On the Prana . " " On what does the Prana rest ? " " On the Apana ? " On what does the Apana rest ? " " On the Vyana . " " On what does the Vyana rest ? " " On the Udana . " " On what does the Udana rest ? " " On the Samana . " This self is That which has been described as " Not this , not this . " It is imperceptible , for It is never perceived ; undecaying , for It never decays ; unattached , for It is never attached ; unfettered — It never feels pain , and never suffers injury . " These are the eight abodes , the eight instruments of vision , the eight deities and the eight beings . I ask you of that Being who is to be known only from the Upanisads , who definitely projects those beings and withdraws them into Itself , and who is at the same time transcendent . If you cannot clearly tell me of It , your head shall fall off . " Sakalya did not know It ; Sakalya head fell off ; and robbers snatched away the bones , mistaking them for something else .

|| BHASYA || : " You have stated that the body and the heart — the effect and the instrument — rest on each other . I therefore ask you :

On what do the body and the heart rest ? " " On the Prana " : The body and the mind rest on the force called Prana . *

" On what does the Prana rest ? " " On the Apana " : That force called Prana would go out ( through the mouth and nostrils ) , were it not held back by the force called Apana .

" On what does the Apana rest ? " " On the Vydna " : That force called Apana would also depart ( through the lower orifice ) as the Prana would ( through the mouth and nostrils ) , were they not both held back by the force called Vyana , which occupies an intermediate position .

" On what does the Vyana rest ? " " On the Udana " : All the three forces would go out in all directions , were they not fixed , as to a post , to the Udana .

" On what does the Udana rest ? " " On the Samana " , for all these forces rest on the Samana .

The idea is this : The body , mind and the vital forces are interdependent and work together as an orderly aggregate , dominated by the purpose of the individual self . Now that transcendent Brahman , which is immediate and direct , by which all these up to the ether are regulated , on which they rest , and by which they are pervaded , has to be described . Hence the text goes on :

This self is That which has been described in the Madhukanda * as " Not this , not this " ( II . iii . 6 ) . It is imperceptible , not perceivable . How ? Because It is beyond the characteristics of effects , therefore It is imperceptible . Why ? For It is never perceived .

Only a differentiated object , which is within the range of the organs , can be perceived : but the Self is the opposite of that . Similarly undecaying . What is gross and made up of parts decays , as , for instance , the body ; but the Self is the opposite of that ; hence It never decays . Likewise unattached . A gross object , being related to another gross object , is attached to it ; but the Self is the opposite of that ; hence It is never attached .

Similarly unfettered , or free . Whatever is gross becomes bound ; but It , being the opposite of that , is free , and for that reason never feels pain . Hence also It never suffers injury . Being beyond such characteristics of effects as perception , decay , attachment and bondage . It never suffers injury , in other words , is never destroyed .

The Sruti , out of eagerness , has set aside the order * , stepped out of the story and described in its own form the Being who is to be known only from the Upanisads . Then it resumes the garb of the story and says ( through Yajnavalkya ) :

These are the eight abodes , described above ( in paragraphs 10 to 17 ) in the words . " Whose abode is the earth " , etc ; the eight instruments of vision , fire etc ; the eight deities , referred to in , ' " Nectar ( chyle ) " , said one ' , etc ( par 10 ) ; the eight beings , mentioned in , " The very being who is identified with the body " ( Ibid ) , etc I ask you , who are proud of your learning , of that Being devoid of hunger etc who is to be known only from the Upanisads , and through no other means of knowledge , who definitely projects those beings , those identified with the body etc , divided into eight groups of four items * each , so as to constitute the universe as it is , and ( again ) withdraws them through the east etc into Itself , ie into the heart ( mind ) , and who is at the same time transcendent , beyond the attributes of the limiting adjuncts such as identification with the heart .

If you cannot clearly tell me of It , your head shall fall off , said Yajnavalkya . Sadkalya did not know that Being who is to be known only from the Upanisads ; Sadkalya's head fell off . The story is ended . " Sakalya did not know It " , etc , is the narration of the Sruti .

Further , robbers snatched away even the bones as they were being carried to Sadkalya's home by disciples for the funeral rites — why ? — mistaking them for something else , viz treasure in it . A previous anecdote is here referred to .

In the Astadhyayi * there occurs a dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Sakalya with a similar ending . There Yajnavalkya gave a curse : " You shall die in an unholy place at an inauspicious time , and even your bones shall not reach home " . Sakalya died exactly like that ; and robbers seized the bones too , mistaking them for something else * ( S . XI vi . iii . 11 ) .

The moral of the story is that one should not be disrespectful , but rather obedient to a true knower of Brahman . That story is here referred to in order to teach conduct and also to extol the knowledge of Brahman .

How can that Brahman which has been indicated as " Not this , not this " by the elimination of everything else , be positively indicated ? In order to answer this , as also to state the cause of the universe , the Sruti again resorts to the story . The point of the story is that one may take away cattle by defeating Vedic scholars who do not truly know Brahman .

( NOTES : * Lit . you and ( your ) self . | * For the functions of these see commentary on I . v . 3 . | * Consisting of chapters I and II . | * Of the dialogue . Now it is Yajnavalkya who is asking . | * Viz abode , the instrument of vision , the light and the deity . | * ( S . XI ) . It consists of eight chapters and treats of rituals . | * That things belonging to Brahmanas must not be taken without their consent . )

" Hammer on ! hammer on ! " is the first principle of success . Without work you can never succeed . A lazy person is bound to perish in the " struggle for existence " , one cannot live , one must die .

Rise to the GOD-Consciousness to such a degree that for you your past relations may become a complete blank . . . Your relation to the world should become the relation of GOD to the world ; an entire change .

From one point of view , mind and intellect are not Brahman ; but on the other hand , mind and intellect are nothing else but Brahman , even the body is nothing else but Brahman , and Everything in the world is nothing else but Brahman .

Can you transfer your consciousness ? Put it here , your consciousness should sit here . Can it sit here ? Now it is inside your body . It is operating through the body and you are seeing through the aperture of your eyes and then perceiving a person like me here .

Immanuel Kant is said to have been woken up by Hume from " dogmatic slumber " and brought about a " Copernican revolution " in the field of philosophy . In Kant we begin to reap the ripe fruits of philosophy , for it is here that it shows signs of its having reached maturity and full development .

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PRABODHASUDHAKARA | THE NECTAR OCEAN OF ENLIGHTENMENT | PART 2 | DEVOTION | SRI ADI SANKARACARYA | TRANSLATION & BHASYA BY SAMVID | PSNOE SERIES || The devotional fervour which the author exhibits in the four concluding sections of this work would appear to be in sharp contrast with the author's relentless pursuit of truth through rational enquiry , found in the earlier sections .

I am composing the Atmabodha , or Self-Knowledge , to serve the needs of those who have been purified through the practice of austerities, and who are peaceful in heart , free from cravings , and desirous of Liberation .

One who has one's mind Self-absorbed through Yoga , and who has the vision of sameness everywhere , sees this Self existing in everything , and everything in one's Self . | One who sees Me in everything , and sees all things in Me — I do not go out of one's vision , and one also is not lost to My vision .

Some minds with too much self reliance in themselves , and without considering the true nature of things , give them different forms and colours , according to their own conceptions and opinions , though far from truth .

VOL 1 | BOOK II | CHAP XVII | VERSE 10 | ON THE CONTENTS OF THE WORK | IT CONTAINS SIX BOOKS all fraught with sentences full of reason , and each distinct from the other in its import . It has many verses containing chosen examples on all subjects .

DANGEROUS HABIT OF CONSTANT SELF JUSTIFICATION | To go on claiming this so-called freedom , which is no more than a subjection to certain ignorant cosmic forces , is to indulge in a blind contradiction and to claim the right to lead a double life

Imagination in the mind always exaggerates . Exaggeration is a modification of lie . Aspirants should not exaggerate . They should utter words with mathematical and scientific precision . An aspirant is asked to give up company and observe Mouna .

MahaBhava is a Divine Ecstasy . It shakes the body and mind to their very foundation . It is like a huge elephant entering a small hut . The house shakes to its foundation . Perhaps it falls to pieces .

Athato bhaktim vyakhyasyamah | 1. Now , therefore , we shall teach Bhakti , or the Religion of Divine Love . 2. Now , therefore , I will try to explain the process of devotional service . 3. Now , therefore , the doctrine of devotion we shall expound .

Rama has written in simple language , the ordinary thoughts and ideas that satisfy the mind and show the Divine Vision to the writer both within and without . The whole world shining like the diamond is becoming the Divine Ocean .

OM! In Humans , The Past exists only in memory , which is retention , replaying , reconfiguration of stories , fantasies , fiction ; The Future is expectation and fantasy : These thoughts play in The Present , creating a false sense of continuity of personality — Nothing but DREAMING it is .|| SSSV 32.3 ||